3 Amazing Yosemite Hikes
In the summer of 2021 my husband and I decided to take a week long trip to Yosemite National Park. We both have lived in California our whole lives but have never made it down to Yosemite. I’ve seen the photos of the incredible views and the giant granite rock formations and I decided we needed to see it for ourselves. We took our travel trailer and stayed in a nearby campground outside of the park that had hookups and easy access to the park entrance. The campground we chose was about 30 minutes away from the South Gate. I came prepared with a long list of hikes that I wanted to complete and I tried to pack in as much as I possibly could into our one week trip. When planning I used the app All Trails to explore all of the hikes within Yosemite and narrow down the options based on length, difficulty, and location. We knew we were capable of hiking up to 15 miles a day so we aimed for trails that were about that mileage or we grouped a couple of shorter ones together. I’m so glad I did my research ahead of time because I would have been overwhelmed with the options when we arrived and it also allowed us to get the most out of each day. I’m going to share with you the best hikes that we completed while in Yosemite National Park so that you can be sure not to miss them!
Glacier Point to Sentinel Dome & Taft Point via the Panorama Trail
The first hike of the trip was Glacier Point to Sentinel Dome then to Taft Point and back for a total of 10 miles. This hike was hands down my favorite hike we did in Yosemite. We drove to Glacier Point and after checking out the gorgeous views from there we left our truck in the parking lot and hopped on the Panorama Trail towards Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. The trail took us through forests of tall trees with open vistas to our right of the granite peaks, the almighty Half Dome and El Capitan. I was just in awe of the views as we hiked through the crisp morning air. The best part was that this trail was less traveled than most and we had it all to ourselves that early in the morning. We were in the middle of Yosemite and had jaw dropping views all to ourselves. We hiked on to Sentinel Dome, a giant chunk of granite that offers 360° views of Yosemite. We hiked to the top of the rock and were rewarded with views that were absolutely incredible. After taking in all the beauty and all the photos we continued on further to Taft point. This was one of the spots I had been looking forward to the most. I had seen so many pictures of Taft Point all across the internet and I couldn’t wait to get there myself. We hiked across flat sandy terrain which then changed to a lush forest and then finally out to a clearing of mostly rocks with a few cluster of trees. El Capitan and surrounding granite rock formations were directly in front of us and the valley below. We walked closer the the edge of the mountain and our jaws dropped when we saw this absolutely amazing vantage point of Yosemite. We walked right up to the edge of the overhanging granite slabs that stuck out over the valley below and looked down to see Yosemite Valley over 3,500 feet below our us. The views were just breathtaking from every spot at Taft Point. Of course we took a ton of pictures, then had a nice rest taking in the views and having a snack before we headed back. The hike back to Glacier Point was just as beautiful as the hike in since we followed roughly the same trail for more than half of it but the perspective was different this time. On the way back we had a panoramic view of half dome and all the surrounding rock formations. It was just my husband and I in the middle of Yosemite National Park forest with this postcard looking view. Of course we took a few more pictures along the way and then we got back to the Glacier Point parking lot to our truck and ended the day with over 10 miles of hiking. I would highly recommend taking the Panorama trail rather than driving to each spot because I feel like this section between Glacier Point and Sentinel Dome was so special and serene.
Cathedral Lakes via the JMT & Cathedral Lakes Trail
The next day we decided on hiking in the Tuolumne Meadows area of the park. From where we were entering the park Tuolumne meadows was on the complete other side so we had quite a drive to get there. Again it was a very early morning and we woke up around 4 AM to leave our campsite and head into the park to begin our adventure. We drove for at least two hours until we finally arrived in Tuolumne meadows. When we arrived we parked and explored the meadows and walked to the nearby Soda Springs, a natural carbonated spring that arises up from the ground. We then searched for deer through Steve’s binoculars and found a group of big velvet bucks and watched them feeding across the meadow. We then decided to get started on the hike we had picked out, the Cathedral Lakes Trail, a 8.5 miles out and back hike with 1,607 feet of elevation gain. The trail to Cathedral Lakes started with us hopping on the John Muir trail off of Tioga Pass Road and following that for a few miles until it coincided with The Cathedral Lakes trail. I was so excited about this because it’s a dream of mine to hike the entire John Muir Trail so it felt magical just being on a section of it. The hike was quite an incline a majority of the way and a real leg burner with an elevation gain of 1,000 feet in the first 3.5 miles. The scenery was absolutely beautiful the entire way. The forest was lush and green and we even crossed a few streams. Once we drew closer to Cathedral Lakes we came around a bend to see a huge granite boulder with jagged peaks at the very top. These rock formations look like someone built a cathedral out of the stones which is why it’s called Catherdral Peak. Just another couple of miles and we arrived at a gorgeous green meadow with an alpine lake surrounded by tall granite mountains. We had arrived at Lower Cathedral Lake. The crystal clear water was so calm and was surrounded by granite rocks dotted with tall pine trees. After sitting on the banks of the lake enjoying a snack we decided to head back to Tuolumne Meadows. Upper Cathedral lake was about another mile further but we didn’t continue on as we saw dark clouds in the sky and even heard some thunder in the distance. We decided to play it safe and head back to the truck. The hike back was gorgeous but a little nerve racking as the clouds continued to form and more thunder could be heard. Once we made it back to the truck we ended the day with over 11 miles hiked. And only 10 minutes later it started pouring down rain. We finished just in time.
Vernal & Nevada Falls via the Mist Trail
The next hike we had planned was Vernal and Nevada Falls via the Mist trail. This hike started in the Yosemite Valley at Happy Isles trailhead which is about an hour drive from our campsite. We got another early start and ended up arriving at the trailhead at 6 AM. The hike begun by following the Merced river for the first mile or so before crossing over it and then beginning the real incline. The first section of the hike is over stone steps that take you up the side of a mountain until you’re right next to Vernal Falls. This waterfall rushes over a sheer cliff and the wind blows some of the water mist over the trail. We got some great photos right from the trail with the waterfall rushing directly behind us. After continuing up the trail we were faced with constant incline until we finally reached the top. The terrain leveled out and we walked right up to the top of Nevada Falls. The sounds of the water hurling itself over the rock cliffs was so loud and powerful. The views all around were beautiful and we could see the backside of Half Dome. This trail is the same trail that people who are summiting Half Dome take to get to the top. You have to have a permit in order to summit the cables on top of Half Dome and we applied every single day for the lottery but never got drawn so we couldn’t continue on. After taking in all the mesmerizing views we headed back down the way we came. This was an absolutely beautiful hike and we ended up hiking over 12 1/2 miles. This hike was the most popular of all the hikes we did and gets very crowded. On our way down the crowds had arrived and it was a cluster of people. We had to dodge and weave through people and kids and the scenery was overtaken by the crowds. I would strongly recommend you arrive early for this one in particular. Since we got to the trailhead around 6 AM we only had to share the trail with maybe about 6 people total the entire way up and it was such a better experience. The hike is so much different without the crowds and you won’t be sorry you got up extra early to avoid them.
The amount of hiking in Yosemite is endless and the trail options are too. If you plan to visit Yosemite in the future add these to your list of must do hikes! My best advice would be to plan your hikes ahead of time and get there very early! Happy hiking!
